Adriana Lima

Adriana Lima best known as a Victoria’s Secret Angel since 1999 being their longest-running model and named “the most valuable Victoria’s Secret Angel” in 2017, as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics since 2003 and for her Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials.

Brazillian supermodel Adriana Lima is the longest-running (still active) Victoria’s Secret Angels and as a Maybelline cosmetics spokesmodel from 2003 to 2009. Lima is also one of the highest-paid models in the world. The stunning model keeps it “simple” with a Porsche Cayenne SUV and a Porsche Panamera S Hybrid.

Education
Like Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima rarely studied as Lima was discovered at the age of 13. During Lima’s elementary school days, a friend of her was very interested in entering a modeling contest but did not want to enter alone. So, Lima entered with her.

Ethnicity
Her ethnicity is Brazilian, French, Swiss, Portuguese, Native-American, Japanese and Caribbean.

Distinctive Features
Sexy figure
Mole on her chin
Striking blue eyes

Adriana Lima won at the age of 15 the Ford’s “Supermodel of Brazil” competition, and took second place the following year in the Ford “Supermodel of the World” competition before signing with Elite Model Management in New York City.

Adrianna Lima is currently ranked by Models.com as one of the New Supers in the fashion industry.
Since 2014, Lima has been the world’s second highest-paid model. In 2012, she came in 4th on the Forbes top-earning models list, estimated to have earned $7.3 million in one year.
In 2013, she came in 3rd place and in 2014 she came in 2nd place with earnings of $8 million.
In 2015, she came in 2nd place with earnings of $9 million.
In 2016, she kept the 2nd place with earnings of $10.5 million.

Lima is the current brand ambassador for the Barcelona-based clothing brand Desigual, for the Beachwear collection of Italian brand Calzedonia, and for the ready-to-wear collection of Italian brand Sportmax.

Many sources state that “Francesca” is her middle name, but Lima herself denied this in an interview to W Radio Colombia in 2010, and confirmed that her name is only Adriana Lima.
Her parents are Nelson Torres and Maria das Graças Lima, a social worker.
Her father left the family when she was six months old, and Lima was raised only by her mother.

About her ethnicity, Lima identifies herself as Afro-Brazilian and stated that she is of Indigenous, Swiss, African, Japanese and West Indian ancestry.

Lima never thought about being a model, although she had won many beauty pageants in elementary school.
However, a friend at school who wanted to enter a modeling contest and did not want to enter alone, so Lima entered with her. Both sent in pictures, and the contest sponsor soon asked Lima to come out for the competition.
Soon after, at the age of 15, she entered and finished in first place in Ford’s “Supermodel of Brazil” model search. She subsequently entered the 1996 Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest and finished in second place.

Lima is probably best known for her work with Victoria’s Secret. She walked her first Victoria’s Secret runway in 1999, at age 18 and since being contracted as an Angel in 2000, she has appeared on subsequent shows ever since, opening the show in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2010.
In 2012, she opened the show for the 5th time less than two months after giving birth to her second child.

In 2004, she was part of the five Angels promoting Victoria’s Secret nationwide in the so-called “Angels Across America”-Tour alongside Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bündchen and Alessandra Ambrosio.

She missed the 2009 show due to her pregnancy.
Lima has appeared on several television ads for the brand, including the praised and criticized “Angel in Venice” commercial of 2003 with Bob Dylan.

2008 continued for Lima with hosting the What Is Sexy? program for the E Entertainment Network and a July tour for the BioFit Uplift Bra launch.
She was also featured in November’s Miracle Bra relaunch.

In 2010, she again wore the Fantasy Bra, called the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Fantasy Bra.
The bra which weighs in at 142 carats with 60 carats of white diamonds and 82 carats of topazes and sapphires is worth 2 million dollars.
She wore the fantasy bra again in 2014, along with Alessandra Ambrosio, with each bra valuing $2,000,000.

In January 2017, Lima was named “the most valuable Victoria’s Secret Angel” according to analytics company D’Marie, which conducted research that factored in social media likes, followers, sales conversions and engagement to come up with the results.
“We’ve developed an algorithm that compiles over 24 specific metrics from each social media platform that determines an individual’s ranking amongst others’ in any variety of categories,” D’Marie explained.

Lima is the host and executive producer of the American reality competition show American Beauty Stars, which premiered on September 23, 2017 on Lifetime

Lima does charitable work helping with an orphanage, “Caminhos da Luz” (Paths of Light), located in Salvador.
She helps with construction to expand the orphanage, and buys clothes for poor children in Salvador, Bahia.
She appeared on Var mısın Yok musun, the Turkish version of Deal or No Deal, where her prize money went to a hospital in Istanbul for children fighting leukemia.

After nine months of dating, Lima became engaged to Serbian NBA player Marko Jarić in June 2008.
The couple married on St. Valentine’s Day 2009 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
In May 2009, it was reported that Lima had applied for Serbian citizenship, but it was never granted to her.
Jarić and Lima have two daughters.
On May 2, 2014, Lima and Jaric announced their separation after five years of marriage.
The divorce was finalized in March 2016.

Lima was listed in the 2005 Forbes’ edition of The World’s Best-Paid Celebrities Under 25.
She ranked ninety-nine in the 2005 and 2006 Forbes’ edition of The Celebrity 100 lists.

In 2012, she was listed in Forbes Celebrity 100 power list for earning more than 7 million between May 2011 and May 2012.

In 2012, she ranked number eight in forbes “The World’s Most Powerful Latino Celebrities” list for earning more than 7 million dollars.

Lima was chosen to be a part of People magazine’s 100 most beautiful people in the world list, sharing that space with the Angels, with whom she also received a star on the Hollywood “Walk of Fame” prior to the 2007 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
That same year, she ranked 7th on FHMs “100 Sexiest Women 2007” list.

Lima was also voted on Maxim’s “Hot 100” 2007 at the No. 53 spot. She was voted No.1 as the Most Desirable Woman in 2005 by visitors of the men’s lifestyle website AskMen.com and placed 4th in 2006 and 2007, 10th in 2008, and 19th in 2009.

She received the award for “Hottest Girl on the Planet” in the 2007 Spike Guys Choice Awards.

Since November 2008, Models.com has featured her at number one on the list of the “Sexiest Models”.

In July 2011, she was ranked No. 4 in the website’s “Money Girls” list.
The website also lists her on “the Supers” list. The list, which has only 8 supermodels, is about supermodels that transcend the boundaries of the fashion industry and have public recognition in and out of fashion.

In 2010, she was voted eighth in “FHM’s Sexiest Women in the World”.
FHM ranked her at No. 6 in 2009, No. 21 in 2008 and No. 4 in 2007.

In 2010, Lima was ranked No. 46 on the 50 most popular women on the Web according to Google search results.
A results from a market research study in 2011 about the UEFA Champions League released by Heineken showed that 52% of men would rather watch their team lift the Champions League trophy than go on a date with Lima. McAfee ranked Lima as the 6th most “dangerous” celebrity in cyberspace in 2010.
The ranking, relating to the use of the names of popular celebrities to lure people to websites that are laden with malicious software, ranked Lima number eight in 2011.
Complex ranks her 4th in the list of “The 100 Hottest Supermodels of All Time”.

On October 6, 2015, it was announced that Adriana will have her own wax figure at the Madame Tussauds New York.
She’s the first Victoria’s Secret Angel and the second Brazilian figure to join the Tussauds star lineup, after soccer star Pelé.
Her wax figure was unveiled on November 30, 2015.

First Film
2001 film The Follow for a role of a wife alongside Mickey Rourke and Forest Whitaker. The Follow is a short film in BMW’s series “The Hire”.

First TV Show
TV Series How I Met Your Mother. She appeared in a guest spot in November 2007 with her fellow angels, playing a role as herself.

Personal Trainer
Michael Olajide Jr trained Lima to get back in shape after pregnancy. Michael is a former boxing champion and co-founder of Aerospace, Manhattan’s Sleek.

Adriana Lima Facts
Adriana won the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest at the age of 15 and the following year, she finished at 2nd place.
Adriana Lima had her first kiss at the age of 17.
Adriana can speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Adriana Lima was first discovered at the age of 13 at the shopping mall.
Adriana loves DJing music at her home.
After her success as a model, she desired to become an actress.
When Adriana was a kid, she used to cry when someone clicked her picture.
In 2010, McAfee named Adriana Lima to be the sixth most dangerous celebrity to search for on the internet.
In 2009, she applied for Serbian citizenship.
She has appeared in Pirelli Calendar in 2005.
Lima has worked with Salvador based orphanage “Caminhos da Luz”.
She was still a virgin at the age of 25. She reported to GQ magazine about her virginity during an interview in April 2006 that sex is for after marriage.
Her first name is pronounced as AH-driana and not AY-driana.
Adriana is the favorite model of photographer “Ellen von Unwerth”.
In 2013, she appeared in Pirelli Calendar while still visibly pregnant. She became the first woman to do so.
Adriana’s idols are Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe.
Before giving birth to her first child, she had never visited any gym.
Adriana became the first Victoria’s Secret Angel on November 30, 2015 when her wax figure was added at the Madame Tussauds New York.
In top-earning models list, Forbes placed Lima at #2 in 2015 with $9 million earnings.